Top 5 reasons this is the most valuable scholarship in Canada

February 2018

It's currently February and many graduating secondary school students across Canada are making some big decisions on their future. Enrolment and scholarship applications are being meticulously crafted to secure life-changing opportunities. For the 1,400 nominees for the 2018 Schulich Leader Scholarships, we suggest you review our top five reasons why our scholarship is the most valuable undergraduate award to receive in Canada:

5) No restrictions on receiving other awards

Review the largest scholarships at each Canadian university or read the fine-print of other national scholarship programs; if you accept their award, you cannot accept other scholarships or bursaries in addition to that. We could not be any further from this philosophy. We want Schulich Leaders to accumulate as much financial aid through awards and bursaries that they possibly can. Look no further than our 2014 Schulich Leader, Sherry Wong, who amassed $70,000 in various awards in addition to her Schulich Leader Scholarship.

If you are ambitious in taking advantage of this opportunity to leverage more financial aid to subsidize your academic journey, our attitude is to accept ours and go for it!

4) Academics are not the only indicator of success (I.e. A high GPA is not required to renew your scholarship each year)

Time and again, our Schulich Leaders tell us the most subtle, yet significant aspect of our award is not having a minimum academic threshold in order to maintain the scholarship. This intangible feature has invaluable benefit to our Schulich Leaders. Most importantly, it removes a major stressor one would have if winning this scholarship is the difference from attending university or not due to financial constraints. Greater latitude on academic results allows Schulich Leaders to challenge themselves and take on higher level coursework, pack-in more extra-curricular initiatives and have a richer student experience if academic results are not the ultimate barometer of success.

Don't get us wrong, we do not want to see our Schulich Leaders fail. In the event that they do, they will not lose the scholarship unless they fail an entire academic year.

3) The "Schulich Leader" designation: A golden key on campus

Receiving a Schulich Leader Scholarship at any of the 20 partner universities in Canada is quickly becoming its own status symbol amongst university Faculty and students. It helps to secure positions in the most fascinating research groups and provides access to the leadership of each university. Our Schulich Leaders continue to impress on campus, translating into further opportunity for future scholars of the program.

2) Schulich Leader Network: A resource for STEM innovators

There are currently 270 Schulich Leaders across Canada, with another 50 joining the ranks each spring. The spectrum of major areas of concentration in the STEM disciplines makes this network truly unique. As the presence of scholars on each campus grows, mentorship, social gatherings and provincial events have become fixtures in this evolving network of STEM innovators. Naturally, the Schulich Leaders gravitate towards one another, with a common purpose and standard of excellence to achieve. There is no doubt that the Schulich Leader Network will become an invaluable resource for those select scholars privileged to receive the award; the real question is whether it's value will be greater than #1 on this list?!

1) Scholarship value is exactly as listed, there is no fine print on the $$$ amount

Schulich Leader Scholarships believes the student has earned every dollar of this award. As such, it is our intention to give each Schulich Leader their funds for the year up front in advance of each fall semester over four consecutive years. We don't mislead our applicants or scholars into thinking they will receive X value in tuition waivers, events or travel opportunities. Unlike some other major national scholarship programs, we actually provide $100k (Engineering scholars) or $80k (Science & Math scholars). It goes without saying that these funds alleviate the financial stress of paying for education, in turn, freeing up time to focus on what matters most to them.

This scholarship opens doors in immeasurable ways that not only provide tremendous value and opportunity, but give our ambitious Leaders an avenue towards accelerated growth. These are the reasons why Schulich Leader Scholarships are the most valuable major entrance awards in Canada today!